Businesses in a number of counties in Southwest Florida impacted by Hurricane Helene are eligible to apply for a portion of $15 million via FloridaCommerce's Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program.The program provides short-term, zero-interest loans to small businesses that experienced economic injury or physical damage due to Hurricane Helene. Interested applicants can apply now through November 24, or until all available funds are expended. Those in need of assistance are encouraged to visit FloridaJobs.org/EBL to apply.

Massive rains from powerful Hurricane Helene left people stranded, without shelter and awaiting rescue Saturday, as the cleanup began from a tempest that killed at least 56 people — another Associated Press story is reporting as many as 100 — caused widespread destruction across the U.S. Southeast and left millions without power.“I’ve never seen so many people homeless as what I have right now,” said Janalea England, of Steinhatchee, Florida, a small river town along the state’s rural Big Bend, as she turned her commercial fish market into a storm donation site for friends and neighbors, many of whom couldn’t get insurance on their homes.Helene blew ashore in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane late Thursday with winds of 140 mph (225 kph).

Producing Artistic Director Greg Longenhagen, General Manager Dianne Summers and Marketing Director Deb Jonsson watched on the news with alarm as 5.12 feet of river water surged into downtown Fort Myers Thursday night from Hurricane Helene. Fortunately, they found far less damage this time than the Rep suffered two years ago during Hurricane Ian

Winds from Hurricane Helene caused damage and power outages Thursday.Numbers are taken from Florida Power and Light's power tracker map and Lee County Electric Cooperative's outage map.

Emergency crews are rushing to rescue people trapped in flooded homes after Helene roared ashore as a powerful Category 4 hurricane in Florida, generating a massive storm surge and knocking out power to millions of customers. At least 25 people were reported dead in four states.

Manatee County reports that 300 residents and visitors were safely rescued and evacuated from Anna Marie Island, Palmetto and unincorporated areas of the county.

The Category 4 storm was predicted to cause catastrophic storm surge across Florida's west coast. Photos from around the region show the flooding that ensued.

When Laurie Lilliott pulled onto her street in Dekle Beach, Florida, after Helene plowed through, she couldn’t see the roofline of her home beyond the palm trees. It had collapsed.

Boat captain and his dog were plucked from the raging Gulf of Mexico as Helene marched up the coast

A number of schools in Southwest Florida continued closures on Friday due to Hurricane Helene.